Pristine Lake Pandin, our third lake for the day, enticed us to go for a dipTouted as the first city in Laguna and one of the oldest in the country, San Pablo prides itself on its seven lakes, which is why it is aptly called “The City of Seven Lakes.”

These are crater lakes which are part of the San Pablo Volcanic Field. This is the story of our largato explore all seven lakes.

Our Lucena-bound bus left the Cubao terminal at 5:50 a.m. We arrived at the San Pablo Junction vy 7:50 a.m.

We rented tricycles and sped off via Schetelig Avenue to the first lake—Lake Bunot in Brgy. Concepcion. We walked for only a few minutes to get a good view of the lake, thanks to the guidance of some kids in the area who were very accommodating.

Bunot Lake is used primarily for floating cage operations where most of the residents derive their income. This lake is known for its cultured tilapia and fish pens for nilotica fingerlings.

We returned to Schetelig and proceeded to the next lake in Brgy. Sto. Angel. Alighting from our trike along the highway, we walked for around 20 minutes, inclusive of “picture-taking moments.”

The trail to the second lake consisted of curtains of talahib, huge volcanic deposits, steep steps and rocky stream crossings. The end result was breathtaking Lake Calibato.

Lake Calibato is the deepest of all the seven lakes and supplies the city and nearby towns with abundant fish.

We headed to Brgy. San Lorenzo to visit Lake Pandin and Lake Yambo, our third and fourth lakes, respectively.

The jeep stopped near a sign indicating the direction of Lake Yambo.

After walking for around 20 minutes, a natural wonder appeared before our very eyes. This was Lake Pandin and all I could say was “wow”!

We rented a balsa (raft) to take us around Lake Pandin. The boatman said our next lake, Lake Yambo, can be seen from the other side after a bit of climbing.

True enough, when we trudged up slippery steps and some muddy uphill portions, we saw Lake Yambo below us. Since there was a trail going down to the lake, the exploration continued as we took photos on the shore.

Going back to our raft on Lake Pandin, we were treated to fresh buko for lunch. Since the lake water was so pristine, some of us went for a swim.

Four of seven lakes explored!

With only three stops to go to complete our quest, we looked for tricycles to take us to the remaining lakes.

On the bridge connecting Brgy. San Lorenzo and Brgy. San Buenaventura, we alighted and took photos of Lake Palakpakin.

Residents around the lake rely on income from fish pens and fish cages that grow cultured tilapia and silver carp. The shallowest among the seven lakes, it is utilized as a communal fishing ground.

We zipped over to the next lake, Lake Muhikap.

Lake Muhikap is one of the main sources of water in the city. Its waters also provide a generous supply of tilapia to Metro Manila and the suburbs.

The driver then dropped us off at Doña Leonila Park, which provided the best viewpoint of Sampaloc Lake.

Considered one of the prime tourist spots in the city, Sampaloc Lake is dotted with floating restaurants along its shoreline. It is teeming with tilapia, bangus, carp and several species of shrimps.

As one of the main sources of livelihood in San Pablo City is tilapia breeding, a statue of the fish can be seen at the park. The tilapia statue was constructed in honor of Jose Agahan and his wife, donors of the first tilapia fingerlings in Sampaloc and Palakpakin lakes in 1955.

Having visited the seven lakes, we decided to do a side trip to the underground cemetery in Nagcarlan.

We returned to San Pablo City via jeep and transferred to tricycles to reach our dinner venue in Brgy. Del Remedio, Sulyap 1907 Casa de Cabay Gallery Cafe and Restaurant.

After our sumptuous dinner, we headed to the bus station and boarded a Cubao-bound bus.

The splendor of the adventure, hopping from one lake to another on a daylong road trip, merits a thumbs-up. (Excerpted from http://larga-bista.blogspot.com)

Doña Leonila Park not only had the best viewpoint of Sampaloc Lake—it also had this fishy attraction